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® February 11 2024 Vol. XXV • No. 3
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.” 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com
Inside
DEVELON Celebrates First Anniversary of New Brand Name...8
World of Concrete Hosts 50th Anniversary Show...18
Bobcat Continues to Expand Attachment Lineup Offerings...35
Granite Works in Tight Spaces On Mountain Range While Southern California contends with a historic atmospheric CEG CORRESPONDENT river, causing mudslides, crews from Granite Construction are engaged in road repairs and clearing operations caused by previous rock and mudslides in several areas to restore access through the Sequoia National Forest near Kings Canyon National Park (KCNP) in the southern Sierra Nevada mountain range. The contract was awarded to Granite last August by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and is expected to be completed in June. “Granite has a long history of partnering with Caltrans District 6 to find innovative solutions to urgent and complex transportation system needs,” said Granite Vice President of Regional Operations Carter Rohrbough. “There was a total of four major washouts along SR 180 that damaged the integrity of the roadway and blocked access, three of which impacted lanes for travel in both eastbound and westbound directions,” said Alex Aguilera, Caltrans public information officer, District 6. Granite Construction was tasked with making repairs at California’s Kings To date, Granite has completed washout repairs, cleaned Canyon National Park in the southern Sierra Nevada after a total of four major and repaired existing culverts, installed new culverts and washouts along SR 180 damaged the integrity of the roadway and blocked access By Irwin Rapoport
see MOUNTAIN page 34
Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Aggregate & Recycling Section . . . . . . . . . . . . .23-27 Attachments & Parts Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35-41 Truck & Trailer Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44-47 Auction Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51-53 Business Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Advertisers Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
to the Sequoia National Forest.
BABA’s Policies Bruising IIJA Benefits Inflation Has Contractors Taking Pass On Federally-Funded Transportation Projects Construction contractors are between a rock and a hard place: What the Biden administration’s IIJA has gifted with a hike in construction work, Buy America policies have taken away by making the work much pricier to perform. Construction costs rose almost 3 percent during the first quarter of 2023, and contractors have seen a 50 percent increase over the past two years. That has the transportation industry nervous for the future. Last year’s National Highway Construction Cost Index (NHCCI) shows it reached “a new all-time high” in the first quarter of 2023. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported an increase of 2.7 percent from the last quarter of 2022. During the 2.5-year span, second quarter 2022 grew faster than see POLICY page 48
Adobe Stock photo
Most materials prices have seen modest inflation while the cost of asphalt rose 20.5 percent in the second quarter of last year.